What do you think?
Rate this book
The Dragon Queen: A Zodiac Odyssey
Akita’s impediment would always be her stumbling block. Or so she thought.
In the town of Marla, Akita is an ordinary girl, living an ordinary life. Until tragedy strikes. Then she learns that the nefarious Prince Andreas, aided by his shape shifting companion Jekkledorf, is out to get her. Akita needs to flee for her life.
Fate intervenes when Akita encounters an unlikely ally, a dragon hailing from the elusive 13th star sign. With the dragon’s wisdom as her guide, she forms an unlikely bond. When her steadfast donkey joins them, she befriends an Arian companion as they venture forth in search of the three missing stones.
Peril lurks at ever turn, testing Akita’s resolve. Will she have the strength to traverse the treacherous Zodiac, armed with the mystical dragon’s guidance? Can she fulfill her late father’s quest, and triumph over her adversaries? Or will she meet the same fate as those who came before her, valiantly striving until their last breath?
Discover the answer in this award-winning adventure of courage, destiny, and the pursuit of one’s true purpose.
In the town of Marla, Akita is an ordinary girl, living an ordinary life. Until tragedy strikes. Then she learns that the nefarious Prince Andreas, aided by his shape shifting companion Jekkledorf, is out to get her. Akita needs to flee for her life.
Fate intervenes when Akita encounters an unlikely ally, a dragon hailing from the elusive 13th star sign. With the dragon’s wisdom as her guide, she forms an unlikely bond. When her steadfast donkey joins them, she befriends an Arian companion as they venture forth in search of the three missing stones.
Peril lurks at ever turn, testing Akita’s resolve. Will she have the strength to traverse the treacherous Zodiac, armed with the mystical dragon’s guidance? Can she fulfill her late father’s quest, and triumph over her adversaries? Or will she meet the same fate as those who came before her, valiantly striving until their last breath?
Discover the answer in this award-winning adventure of courage, destiny, and the pursuit of one’s true purpose.
462 pages, Paperback
Published July 11, 2024
2 people are currently reading
1522 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 30, 2024
The Dragon Queen by Rosemary K. Tompkins is a fantasy novel that follows the journey of 15-year-old Akita, an ordinary girl from the mythical town of Marla. Her life takes a dramatic turn when her father is murdered on the orders of a jealous prince, forcing her to flee her home.
Entrusted with a valuable family heirloom, Akita embarks on a quest through the twelve Zodiac towns of Adastra to complete a mission begun by her ancestors. Along the way, she makes some quirky friends, including a dragon (yes to dragons!) and her best friend Jericho, who stands by her through thick and thin.
Together with her companions, Akita confronts various challenges in a world filled with magic, dragons, and quirky villagers, all while striving to overcome her insecurities and claim her destiny as the rightful Queen.
Overall, it was a cute, light read. The fairytale vibes were strong, and the Zodiac-themed world was definitely fun to explore.
That being said, I feel like this book is better suited for younger readers. Even though it’s over 400 pages, it’s super fast-paced—sometimes too fast. Big moments and conflicts were resolved quickly, so it felt like there was a lot happening but not a lot of time to really dive into the details.
I also didn’t expect the last minute romance. For most of the book, it’s all about friendship, but then in the last few pages, the main couple suddenly say “I love you.” It was sweet but felt a little out of nowhere, so it left me confused. It was good for a happy ending, even though the book will continue with a sequel, but I didn't feel any development that lead to this love confession.
Despite that, I did enjoy the whimsical tone, the imaginative world, and the magical elements. Dragons will always win me over, and the fairytale-like adventure had some really charming moments.
I think younger readers, especially middle-graders, will really enjoy this one. It’s a fun and fast-paced story with a lot of heart, and it has just the right amount of magic and adventure to keep them hooked!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
Entrusted with a valuable family heirloom, Akita embarks on a quest through the twelve Zodiac towns of Adastra to complete a mission begun by her ancestors. Along the way, she makes some quirky friends, including a dragon (yes to dragons!) and her best friend Jericho, who stands by her through thick and thin.
Together with her companions, Akita confronts various challenges in a world filled with magic, dragons, and quirky villagers, all while striving to overcome her insecurities and claim her destiny as the rightful Queen.
Overall, it was a cute, light read. The fairytale vibes were strong, and the Zodiac-themed world was definitely fun to explore.
That being said, I feel like this book is better suited for younger readers. Even though it’s over 400 pages, it’s super fast-paced—sometimes too fast. Big moments and conflicts were resolved quickly, so it felt like there was a lot happening but not a lot of time to really dive into the details.
I also didn’t expect the last minute romance. For most of the book, it’s all about friendship, but then in the last few pages, the main couple suddenly say “I love you.” It was sweet but felt a little out of nowhere, so it left me confused. It was good for a happy ending, even though the book will continue with a sequel, but I didn't feel any development that lead to this love confession.
Despite that, I did enjoy the whimsical tone, the imaginative world, and the magical elements. Dragons will always win me over, and the fairytale-like adventure had some really charming moments.
I think younger readers, especially middle-graders, will really enjoy this one. It’s a fun and fast-paced story with a lot of heart, and it has just the right amount of magic and adventure to keep them hooked!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2024
If I could give it a zero star I would…
The idea behind the book is good but the execution and the writing was not it.
Akita goes on a journey but the way it is written is similar to reading a child’s story. Akita went here, Akita needed food, Akita got hurt, Akita was made fun of.
There was no world building, the author wrote about the scrolls and the responsibility of it all and there was no true qualities of her good enough to be come a queen. All of it was inferred but the author knew what was happening and the reader did not. As a reader you want to understand more than the surface level, and all of the emotions, story line and interactions was surface level and predictable.
I would not recommend this book at all.
The idea behind the book is good but the execution and the writing was not it.
Akita goes on a journey but the way it is written is similar to reading a child’s story. Akita went here, Akita needed food, Akita got hurt, Akita was made fun of.
There was no world building, the author wrote about the scrolls and the responsibility of it all and there was no true qualities of her good enough to be come a queen. All of it was inferred but the author knew what was happening and the reader did not. As a reader you want to understand more than the surface level, and all of the emotions, story line and interactions was surface level and predictable.
I would not recommend this book at all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2025
The Dragon Queen
A Zodiac Odyssey
by Rosemary K. Tompkins
Publisher: BooksGoSocial
Sci Fi & Fantasy; Teens & YA
4 Stars
The Dragon Queen A Zodiac Odyssey was interesting, nail biting and sad moments. Tragic moments and Unlikely bonds and relationships occur along with some issues causing changes and chaos.
The story was a little slow paced at the beginning but began to develop as Akita’s journey began. Some characters made me wanting to stop reading yet I continued as I needed to know what will happen next and the ending.
#TheDragonQueen #NetGalley
I received a complimentary copy of this book from BooksGoSocial via NetGalley for my honest review of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own thoughts, feelings and viewpoints of the book.
A Zodiac Odyssey
by Rosemary K. Tompkins
Publisher: BooksGoSocial
Sci Fi & Fantasy; Teens & YA
4 Stars
The Dragon Queen A Zodiac Odyssey was interesting, nail biting and sad moments. Tragic moments and Unlikely bonds and relationships occur along with some issues causing changes and chaos.
The story was a little slow paced at the beginning but began to develop as Akita’s journey began. Some characters made me wanting to stop reading yet I continued as I needed to know what will happen next and the ending.
#TheDragonQueen #NetGalley
I received a complimentary copy of this book from BooksGoSocial via NetGalley for my honest review of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own thoughts, feelings and viewpoints of the book.
March 3, 2025
DNF at 45.5%
~1.5~
I tried, okay?
The writing was not that good and the story just repeated itself over and over. The MC went a place, met people, talked to other people, found something, left, repeat. I just felt like I was reading the same thing in different words.
I'm sorry, but I really need to stop forcing myself from reading something that is not bringing me enjoyment, and this year I am taking that seriously.
Signing off,
B.
(Free ARC from NetGalley and BooksGoSocial that I chose to review after reading - Cross-posted on Goodreads on March 3rd, 2025)
~1.5~
I tried, okay?
The writing was not that good and the story just repeated itself over and over. The MC went a place, met people, talked to other people, found something, left, repeat. I just felt like I was reading the same thing in different words.
I'm sorry, but I really need to stop forcing myself from reading something that is not bringing me enjoyment, and this year I am taking that seriously.
Signing off,
B.
(Free ARC from NetGalley and BooksGoSocial that I chose to review after reading - Cross-posted on Goodreads on March 3rd, 2025)
July 21, 2025
Thank you to BooksGoSocial for an ARC of this book.
This book is great for an intro into fantasy for young readers. I do feel that even though it would be great for that, it lacked a satisfying finish. The world building was actually really well done, but I just felt like although the world building was great, the characters suffered because of it.
This book is great for an intro into fantasy for young readers. I do feel that even though it would be great for that, it lacked a satisfying finish. The world building was actually really well done, but I just felt like although the world building was great, the characters suffered because of it.
June 4, 2025
The Dragon Queen was not a bad book, but it got very boring at some point.
I feel like it would be a great bedtime story book, reading about each place every night and more suited for middle-graders than teens.
The idea is not bad, but the plot got to repetitive.
I feel like it would be a great bedtime story book, reading about each place every night and more suited for middle-graders than teens.
The idea is not bad, but the plot got to repetitive.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews